Forrest logo
back to the git tool

git-bisect:tldr:d74f9

git-bisect: Start a bisect session on a commit range bounded by a known buggy commit, and a known clean (typically older) one.
$ git bisect start ${bad_commit} ${good_commit}
try on your machine

The command "git bisect start ${bad_commit} ${good_commit}" initiates a binary search (also known as binary searching a bug) within the Git repository to help identify the specific commit that introduced a particular bug or issue.

Here is what each part of the command means:

  • "git bisect start" is the command to start the binary search process.
  • "${bad_commit}" represents the commit where the bug or issue is present. It is usually specified as the commit hash, branch name, tag, or any other valid reference to the commit.
  • "${good_commit}" represents the commit where the bug or issue is not present. It is usually specified as the commit hash, branch name, tag, or any other valid reference to the commit.

By providing a "bad" commit and a "good" commit, Git will intelligently locate a commit that lies between the two points. It then checks out that commit and allows you to test and determine whether the bug is present or not. Based on your feedback, Git will then narrow down the search range further, automatically checking out commits until it successfully identifies the commit that introduced the bug.

The process continues until the bug is found or when there are no more commits to examine. Finally, Git provides the identified "bad" commit responsible for the bug, which can be helpful in understanding what change introduced the issue.

This explanation was created by an AI. In most cases those are correct. But please always be careful and never run a command you are not sure if it is safe.
back to the git tool